Chapter 27 – Old friends

(AN: I wanted to write the climax here, but I also didn't want to skip any details in order to get it done. Next chapter will finish this arc.)

1st Pov Coulson

"Is everyone ready?" I asked giving my mental checklist one last run through as we prepared to go confront Reaper.

"Yes, Sir." The response was subdued and lacked the confidence my team normally carried on missions. Not that I expected anything else. I'm feeling just as nervous and scared as they are, but as the commander I can't show it. It's still surreal to me, dealing with Superhumans, people who can outrun cars and crush steel barehanded.

Captain America is my hero, my motivation, the ideal I work and struggle towards. I've always treated Captain America differently from the other mutants and mutates. He fought for us, not out of any form of personal desire but because it was the right thing to do. Historians have called him naïve, philosophers an abomination, but none of those superficial titles capture who he was.

He was a hero. He fought, cried, lost, grieved, and continued to fight anyway. But now his image has been eroded by two new superhumans from a different world. Both soldiers who selflessly gave their lives away in order to protect their world. Only to find that as time passed, they couldn't maintain that ideal any longer.

Gaberial Reyes aptly named Reaper; A madman who in a couple of months crippled the city considered to be the center of the planet. Hundreds of criminals deceased from corrupt politicians to drug dealers. Of course, he doesn't kill everyone, most of the petty shop lifters only end up with a severe beating.

It had taken a while for them to speak out, scared he'd come back for them, but once they did it confirmed that Reaper isn't rampaging in the city without reason. He had a goal and whatever it is he probably would have succeeded if Morrison hadn't come to us when he did.

Jack Morrison, I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He stood to my rear left leaning against one of the trucks and watching everyone pack and filter in disinterestedly. Last night when Romanov had returned from speaking with him. She used two words to describe him, bitter and tired.

Watching him I couldn't stop my traitorous mind from wandering to a dark pessimistic area of my mind. 'Is that what he would have turned into? Tried and Bitter at the world unable to rest or would he have lost it and gone on a killing spree?' Time seemed to move in slow motion as I entered the vehicle but inside my mind a Vintage Captain America card started to erode rapidly before being completely covered in rust.

The truth was I didn't know and that scared me far more than fighting Reaper did. But now isn't the time for an internal crisis. Throwing any remaining unrelated thoughts to the back of my mind I entered the first truck with Morrison a step behind me and took off down the road following his directions to an old but classic-looking restaurant.

"Are you sure it's here? This doesn't line up with the pattern we were tracking." I asked Morrison as we drove quickly through the streets. It was sad seeing this once bustling city so deserted. Nowadays people don't leave their house except when it is mandatory. Workplaces had to go online, and a lot of businesses are struggling.

Thankfully director Fury had decided to leak the evidence of some of Reapers' more high-class targets and the city had used their hidden funds to appease the people. Not before Fury managed to grab 30% of it though. He absolutely dispised asking the council for funding. Anything from the council came with price tags much more expensive than what it was worth.

"That's it up ahead pull over here." Morrison called to me, and I once again pushed any extra thoughts from my head. It wasn't like me to get so distracted; I need to keep my focus, careless mistakes or moments of pause will be instant deaths in a fight like this.

Parking everyone quickly emptied out of their rides and gathered around Morrison. He'd be the one actually leading in this fight but he and I both agreed there was no need to make the team uncomfortable by making a change in leadership now.

"I'm going to say this once now so that no one gets any dumb ideas later. Besides me none of you will be able to stall him for more than a couple seconds." I raised my hand slightly to silence Amir and Barry who both looked ready to refute him. I wanted to as well, but Morrison has faced Reaper before his opinion even if wrong could still provide us with important information.

"Whatever counter measures you think you have, whatever idea you have in your head of what Reaper is abandon all of it right now. For people like you Reaper is a God plain and simple. He is your superior in every way nothing you try against him will amount to anything."

I froze at Morrison's harsh words and tone. I knew he had looked down on us, that much has been clear since he's started working with us, but I didn't think he saw us as this helpless. My slight pause gave Amir all the time he needed to step forward and grab Morrison by the collar.

"What do you mean by that huh? We're not some helpless kids who need your protection. We can do this with or without you got that? You're on our team not the other way around asshole." If his words affected Morrison, he didn't show it. Instead, he stared at Amir and seeing that Amir wasn't going to back down sighed.

"Fine all humor you. What is your genius plan to stop Reaper? In fact, while we're at it why don't you give me the plan you made without me in it."

Amir seemed to freeze up slightly when put on the spot, clearly not having a plan in his head but before he could even try to retort Morrison spoke first.

"Let me guess it'd be something like, sneak up on him. Hit him with the big guns to surprise him and then move in with The Widow and Archer to finish him off." Amir seems to have finally realized he had barked up the wrong tree as he took a step back from Morrison who got more passionate as he continued to speak.

"Except you can't 'sneak' up on someone with super senses. Nor can you hit him with anything when his speed and reflexes make you turtles in comparison. Nor can any of you hold him when one swipe –here Morrison dragged his hand across Amir's chest- is all it would take to rip you into pieces."

By this point he had backed Amir up to the truck we'd stepped out of moments prior. "So, when I say that your all-dead weight I'm not being insulting or cruel. I believe it to be the opposite, would it not be cruel of me to leave out how hopelessly outmatched you are? Would you rather find out once we start?"

Turning his back on Amir Morrison quickly stepped to the front of the party next to Natasha and Barton who had kept quiet throughout the exchange. Given that Morrison had been speaking directly to me and my team it's obvious that this extreme warning was only for us. Barton wouldn't be anywhere close to Reaper and Natasha was far above normal humans in power.

"Alright if everyone's ready let's get this started." Not waiting for our response Morrison crossed the street and made his way towards the restaurant as my team and I hurried to catch up. After such a serious warning I can only hope we all make it out of this.

3rd Pov Restaurant

Entering the restaurant, the first thing Makenzie saw was the Manager and his employees shaking in the kitchen as they stared across the restaurant where Reaper sat having his glass of wine refilled by one of the servers. He ignored her shaking hands that constantly spilt wine on him as he sat there.

Keeping a serious look on his face in his heart Makenzie complained about Reapers over the top theatrics. 'I mean really, I know I said he could go all out with the set up, but I didn't think he'd pick something so cringey.'

Turning his gaze away from the waiter Reaper watched Makenzie approach as the others slowly spread out around the room careful not to cover any of the windows blocking Bartons line of sight.

"Thank you. Now all of you get out." Reaper gave the waitress his thanks before growling at the rest of the staff sending them tumbling out of the back exit. With the distractions gone, Reaper turned back around and looked at Morrison.

"Back to being a dog for the government Morrison. I thought you'd learned your lesson."

"That doesn't mean much coming from you Reyes. Doing the same thing to this planet that you did to ours. Don't you think a carrier change is in order."

"Funny you should mention it. I did consider it when I first arrived, but I don't seem to have many other talents. Whose fault do you think that is Morrison?"

"Still stuck up on that are you? You know as well as I do that the position should have gone to you. There was nothing I could do. Corporal made their decision I couldn't reject."

"Oh, please I know what happened Morrison. I've long moved past my anger over you being chosen over me."

"Then why do you insist on remaining on this path? Why couldn't you stop? Why must you keep doing THIS?!"

"This is all I have left Morrison. I can't rid myself of my anger, my hatred. It's infused in my being and this world; Morrison is just as corrupt as ours. Hell, its worse, SHEILD, Mutants, Gods, Magicians and who knows what else and yet still the government insists on holding us back on stopping us from reaching the heights we could reach, of achieving the things we could achieve!"

"And what you'll accomplish that goal by terrorizing the world. It didn't work in our world, and it won't work in this one Reyes. I won't let you keep killing people to feed your delusions."

"Didn't work in our world?! That's where your wrong Morrison our world's end proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that humanity can reach impossible heights when pushed far enough! You saw her Morrison, 500 years and she still pushed forward. Her expression, her stance, her lack of empathy." As he talked Reaper's voice began to take on a fanatical tone as he raised himself suddenly from his chair.

"I knew the second I saw her. That's it Morrison, the next step in our evolution. Humanity just needs a push in the right direction."

"If you truly believe what you're saying Reyes then there's nothing left to talk about I'll end this here no one else will suffer from your actions."

"A little late to find your resolve old man. You think you can stop me you're just a fossil, an antique from an era that ended long ago and should have dragged you down with it."

"Perhaps it would have been best if it dragged us both down with it. At last, we will never know what may have been only what is."

"Don't give me that philosophical shit Jack."

There was a pregnant pause before Morrison released a chuckle "Sorry Gaberial you know how bad I am at kicking a habit."

Standing at the other end of the room the agents of SHIELD stared in confusion as Reaper and Morrison talked like old friends with each other. Neither had shown any signs of open hostility minus Morrisons one outburst. Shifting nervously from one foot to the other they watched Reaper and Morrison talk waiting for some kind of sign to signify the beginning of the fight.

They got their sign when Reaper's body suddenly disappeared and reappeared right in front of Shahed and before anyone could react his claws had torn through her right arm and continued on towards her chest. However, before he could slash her an arm got in the way blocking the blow.

After that the situation devolved into chaos and the inside of the restaurant turned into a tornado as both Super Soldiers moved at inhuman speeds, crashing hundreds of times in the air before separating for a moment only to reengage immediately.

The climax of the fight came quickly, far too quickly for any of the agents to react as suddenly a huge vacuum of wind was created as Morrison was launched across the restaurant and embedded into the wall. Emerging from the swirling pile of debris and dirt kicked up by their fight, Reaper walked looking no worse to wear as he approached Morrisons collapsed form.

{Sigh} "Morrison, Morrison weren't you listening to me. Your old." Raising his hand into the air the agents watched as his metallic claw gleamed in the light.

But before he could drop it he was interrupted by the whistling sound of an arrow that flew through the window shattering the glass and landing near Reaper before a miniature explosion knocked Reaper off balance, pushing him away from Morrison.

Before he could recover a sweeping leg kick forced him to move backwards as electrical arcs danced along the heel of her boot. The Black Widow landed in front of Morrison with her hands raised in a guard showing off the tasers on her wrists.

"Hmmm. More SHIELD agents. Interesting. This should be fun."

Finally taking his eyes off of Morrisons prone form. Reapers gazed shifted to the rest of the agents and chills ran down their backs.

"Don't disappoint me now."